Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces. Luckily for us, he continued the tradition for Vanity Fair. Here are some of the best.

British singer-songwriter Rita Ora looked incredible in an illusion crop top and skirt as she posed from a balcony in Berlin, , Germany in the second decade of July 2023. (Photo by Instagram)

Enigmatic Italian forward Mario Balotelli is always good for drama, so Fanny Neguesha is perfect for him. With her racy Instagram shots and wild ways, she might be the one to tame Super Mario’s heart. The couple was engaged to marry this week. (Photo by Splash News/Getty Images/Instagram.com)

A diving competitor during a practice session at Tokyo Aquatics Centre ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (Photo by Stefan Wermuth/Reuters)

Alex Lual (R) in action against Trent Girdham (L) during the undercard bouts ahead of the WBO Asia Pacific Super Welterweight Title Bout between Tim Tszyu and Takeshi Inoue at Qudos Bank Arena, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 17 November 2021. (Photo by Dan Himbrechts/EPA/EFE)

Ice swimmer Klaudia prepares to swim in a filled up water kettle in an ice cave inside the Nature Ice Palace, with a hight of 3,250 meters (10,663 feet) above sea level, at Hintertux Glacier near Hintertux, some 480 kilometers (298 miles) western of Vienna, Austria, 28 July 2018. (Photo by Christian Bruna/EPA/EFE)

A woman poses for a photo at Hitchin Lavender farm in Ickleford, Britain, August 4, 2020. (Photo by Peter Cziborra/Reuters)

Semi-feral, conservation ponies, graze on the salt marsh's of Gower, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom on September 7, 2022. (Photo by Joann Randles/Cover Images)